WFF Newsletter
February Edition
Travel Update
What to Wear
What to wear….is always the big question for all of us as we prepare for a trip, especially if you have never attended. The attire for the Conference is business attire - yet with over 3,000 people attending from all over the country, there is a range of what everyone wears and you will see all versions of outfits. Here is what we recommend to help you pack and prepare:
Men: some wear ties and others do not. Please bring a sport coat, dress slacks and a collared shirt. An emergency tie in your suitcase is not a bad idea.
Women: style and comfort is our recommendation. Suits or separates are appropriate - pants or skirt is just fine too. Please don’t feel like you have to go out and buy all new clothes! Not sure if you are dressy enough - throw in a couple of scarves and a necklace that can dress up an outfit!
Things to consider: the day goes fast and there is a not a lot of time between seminars and dinner. The conference area is large - so you will be doing a lot of walking and standing.
Average Temperature in Dallas in March is 65 - 70 during the day and 55-60 in the morning and evenings. It is usually pretty sunny.
Gordon Food Service Dinner attire is definitely casual and jeans are very appropriate.
Dinners sponsored by WFF Conference are business casual yet please note you usually don’t have much time to change and freshen up - more info on these on their website as usually the last night is a very casual and fun evening.
Travel: as you have time before the conference starts to change - we recommend dressing as comfortable as you want for your travel days.
Shoes and Bag - comfortable shoes and a larger briefcase/bag to help hold all the handouts can be good to add to your packing list.
Professional and Comfortable-think about if your outfit will feel at comfortable at 3:00 in the afternoon as it does at 7:00 a.m.!
Download the Conference App Before You Go
WFF CONFERENCE APP - the best tool to take with you to Conference! It is so hard to know what take with us each day to be organized and know where we are to be. The one resource that can save you alot of time and make it easy to have “less things to carry” is the Conference App.
Download it to your tablet or smart phone (or both)
It will have your daily schedule
List of Speakers and Attendees
They also communicate to the group with program updates
PLEASE BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD IT EARLY so you are comfortable with what is accessible - it also might make it easy for you decided what not to print off and carry with you
Attendee Spotlight: Brad Wolters
WFF was an awesome experience I would recommend to anyone at GFS. From senior managers to Emerging Leaders, there are abundant development opportunities and plenty of people to develop relationships with from a variety of roles at GFS and the other participating companies. WFF may stand for Women’s Foodservice Forum, but I assure this seminar is for men as well….really it is….I promise!
I admit I was a bit nervous to attend this meeting since I would be one of the lone males in attendance. I quickly learned that this environment was inviting, fun, and a great opportunity to learn. I definitely evaluated my career progression and development one day when the woman in charge of global sustainability for McDonald’s sat down at my table for lunch. We shared our current roles with our respective employers, and I couldn’t help but to notice what this respective leader had accomplished in such a short time. This is was one of the most interesting and fun interactions I had at the whole meeting. Learning the path such a successful, young, female leader traveled on her career path was inspiring….and intimidating! I knew I had my work cut out for me and I should make the best of opportunities like WFF.
There are a great deal of presentations that will spike your interest and help you to develop yourself in areas you may need to turn into strengths. The presenters at WFF specialize in a variety of fields that everyone can find interesting. If you do get the chance to attend, I recommend taking your time selecting each of the sessions you attend to be sure you learn or can apply something from each. Don’t be scared to get yourself into uncomfortable situations! Get out there and meet new people from all walks of life and employers at the meeting. Interesting conversations and stories are sure to ensue.
If you haven any questions, you should be sure to seek out a teammate or peer that has attended in the past.